Pressure equalization apparatus for a bottle and methods associated therewith

ABSTRACT

A device that assists with equalizing air pressure within a bottle with the atmospheric air pressure as liquid is being poured from the bottle and includes one or more relatively short air tubes. The air tubes are situated with an upper inlet rim of the air tubes located flush with or relatively near the bottle rim. Whether an insert or integrated into the manufacture of a container, the one or more air tubes that extend partially into the container allow air to pass into the container as the liquid exits the container. The pressure equalizer not only minimizes or prevents the common glugging effect, but it allows liquid from a bottle to be poured smoothly at any angle and orientation. A cap incorporating a detachable pressure equalizer is also described.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/789,512, filed on Oct. 20, 2017, which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/967,860, filed on Aug. 15, 2013, nowU.S. Pat. No. 9,796,506, issued on Oct. 24, 2017, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/358,390,filed on Jan. 25, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,857,639, issued on Oct. 14,2014, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 13/101,907, filed on May 5, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,684,205,issued on Apr. 1, 2014, which is continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/019,941, filed on Feb. 2, 2011, now U.S. Pat.No. 8,602,235, issued on Dec. 10, 2013, which claims the benefit of bothU.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/319,030 filed on Mar. 30,2010, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/301,133, filed onFeb. 3, 2010; the contents of the foregoing documents are incorporatedherein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure is related to a device that assists withequalizing air pressure within a bottle with the atmospheric airpressure, as liquid is being poured from the bottle.

BACKGROUND

A person pouring liquid from a bottle is often faced with the liquidpouring erratically and even splashing due to “glugging” (that is,uneven flow during pouring) caused by unbalanced pressures between theatmospheric air pressure outside the bottle and the air pressure withinthe bottle. Referring now to FIG. 1, a bottle 100 is shown in across-sectional view, wherein the cross-sectional alignment is takenalong line 1-1 of the top elevation view of the bottle 100 depicted inFIG. 2. The bottle 100 includes a bottle wall 104 having an exteriorsurface 108. The bottle wall 104 includes a base 112 and extends fromthe base 112 to the top 116 of the bottle 100. The top 116 of the bottle100 further includes a bottle opening 120 that leads to the bottleinterior 124. The bottle interior 124 is defined by an interior surface128 of the bottle wall 104. The bottle 100 has a bottle length B_(L),wherein the bottle length B_(L) is defined herein as the height of thebottle interior 124; that is, the distance between the interior surface128 of the bottle wall 104 at the deepest portion of the base 112 of thebottle 100 and a top edge 132 of the bottle rim 136 at the top 116.

Referring now to FIG. 3, an enlarged cross-sectional view of an upperportion 140 of the bottle 100 is shown. As those skilled in the art willappreciate, a variety of sealing mechanisms may be used to seal abottle. By way of example, a threaded cap may be used to seal thebottle. Such a configuration is illustrated in FIG. 3, wherein athreaded cap 148 is depicted directly above the bottle 100. The upperportion 140 of the bottle 100 includes a bottleneck 152. Threads 156along the exterior surface 108 of the bottleneck 152 are configured toengage threads within cap 148.

Still referring to FIG. 3, the bottleneck 152 includes a substantiallyconstant bottleneck diameter D_(Bottleneck). The bottleneck 152 itselfextends from the bottle rim 136 to a location where the bottle 100begins its taper outward. That is, where the diameter of the bottle 100increases from the bottleneck diameter D_(Bottleneck). Accordingly, thebottleneck 152 has a bottleneck length L_(Bottleneck) that is defined asthe distance between the bottle rim 136 and the bottleneck base 160,which is the location where the bottleneck diameter D_(Bottleneck) nolonger remains substantially constant.

Prior devices for attempting to provide for smooth fluid pouring haveperformance issues, require significant materials, and/or have otherlimitations, such as extending above the bottle top, therebycomplicating or even preventing recapping/resealing of the bottle.Accordingly, there is a need for other devices to address the gluggingproblem associated with pouring liquids from a bottle.

SUMMARY

It is to be understood that the present disclosure includes a variety ofdifferent versions or embodiments, and this Summary is not meant to belimiting or all-inclusive. This Summary provides some generaldescriptions of some of the embodiments, but may also include some morespecific descriptions of other embodiments.

One or more embodiments of the one or more present disclosures aredirected to a device that assists with equalizing air pressure within abottle with the atmospheric air pressure, as liquid is being poured fromthe bottle. Various embodiments of the pressure equalizers describedherein can accommodate various bottle shapes, bottle sizes, liquids, andpouring angles. By way of example, the pressure equalizers are suitablefor beverages, chemicals, solutions, suspensions, mixtures, and otherliquids. In its most basic form, the pressure equalizer comprises twomain fluid flow paths: (a) a channel that allows liquid to pass out ofthe bottle; and (b) one or more air tubes or air ducts to allow air toenter the bottle.

Furthermore, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited toequalizing air pressure within bottles, but rather may be utilized toequalize air pressure in any container or vessel. As a couple ofnon-limiting examples, embodiments of the present disclosure may beemployed to equalize air pressure in cartons, jugs, or any other hollowor concave structure for storing, pouring, and/or dispensing liquids.

At least one embodiment described herein utilizes one or more relativelyshort air tubes, as compared to the bottle length. The air tubesfunction by pressure differential and are not required to be in contactwith an air cavity at the bottom of the bottle of liquid. In at leastone embodiment, the pressure equalizer comprises at least one air tubewith an air tube rim located substantially flush with the top of thebottle, or at least within 5% of the bottle rim relative to the lengthof the bottleneck. Unlike an insert used for alcohol bottles at a barwhere the insert appears to be meant to slow the flow of liquid,embodiments described herein increase the flow of liquid and betterfacilitate air/gas entry into the bottle. More particularly, thepressure equalizers described herein mitigate or prevent the gluggingeffect that occurs when liquid is attempting to exit a bottle at thesame time that air is attempting to enter the bottle. At least someembodiments of the pressure equalizers can be incorporated directly intoa current bottle mold design, a new bottle mold, or as an inserteddevice. The device, regardless of how it is incorporated into a bottle,involves one or more air tubes that extend partially into the bottle andallow air to pass into the bottle as the liquid exits the bottle. Thisdevice not only minimizes or prevents the common glugging effect, but itcan allow liquid from a bottle to be poured smoothly at any angle.

Accordingly, a bottle insert for substantially equalizing atmosphericair pressure with air pressure within a bottle when pouring a liquidfrom the bottle is provided, the bottle having a bottle length B_(L),the bottle including a bottleneck and a bottle opening having an openingdiameter, the bottleneck having an interior bottleneck wall and abottleneck length L_(Bottleneck) extending between a bottle opening rimat the bottle opening to a bottleneck base at a top of a bottle taper ofthe bottle, the bottle opening rim circumscribing the bottle opening,the bottle insert comprising:

-   -   a perimeter member adapted for contacting at least a portion of        the interior bottleneck wall; and    -   an air tube attached to the perimeter member, the air tube        including an upper inlet rim and a lower end edge, the air tube        including an air tube length L_(Air Tube) extending between the        upper inlet rim and the lower end edge, wherein the upper inlet        rim is configured for positioning within a rim proximity        distance of about 0% to 5% of the bottleneck length        L_(Bottleneck) above or below the bottle opening rim, and        wherein the air tube length L_(Air Tube) is equal to or greater        than the bottleneck length L_(Bottleneck) and equal to or less        than about 25% of the bottle length B_(L).

In at least one embodiment, the perimeter member engages the bottle by afriction fit. In at least one embodiment, the air tube comprises aflared portion. In at least one embodiment, the flared portion includesa flared portion base that does not extend distally beyond thebottleneck base. In at least one embodiment, the bottle insert furthercomprises at least one additional air tube. In at least one embodiment,the at least one additional air tube includes a length equal to orgreater than the bottleneck length L_(Bottleneck) and equal to or lessthan about 25% of the bottle length B_(L).

One or more additional embodiments may comprise an air inlet channel influid communication with an air tube. Accordingly, a bottle insert forsubstantially equalizing atmospheric air pressure with air pressurewithin a bottle when pouring a liquid from the bottle is provided, thebottle having a bottle length B_(L), the bottle including a bottleneckand a bottle opening having an opening diameter, the bottleneck havingan interior bottleneck wall and a bottleneck length L_(Bottleneck)extending between a bottle opening rim at the bottle opening to abottleneck base at a top of a bottle taper of the bottle, the bottleopening rim circumscribing the bottle opening, the bottle insertcomprising:

-   -   an air inlet channel adapted for contacting at least a portion        of the interior bottleneck wall and extending circumferentially        around at least a portion of the interior bottleneck wall, the        air inlet channel including a perimeter member contacting at        least a portion of the interior bottleneck wall, the air inlet        channel including a distal base and an interior channel wall        located substantially parallel to at least a portion of the        perimeter member and offset radially to the interior of the        perimeter member by the distal base; and    -   an air tube attached to the air inlet channel and having a        distal end extending equal to or less than about 25% of the        bottle length B_(L), at least a portion of the air tube in fluid        communication with the air inlet channel.

In at least one embodiment, a top of the air inlet channel is situatedwithin a rim proximity distance above or below the bottle opening rim,the rim proximity distance equal to or less than about 5% of thebottleneck length L_(Bottleneck). In at least one embodiment, the bottleinsert further comprises at least one additional air tube wherein the atleast one additional air tube has an air tube diameter D_(AirTube)between about 2% to 50% of the opening diameter of the bottle. In atleast one embodiment, the bottle insert further comprises at least oneadditional air tube, the at least one additional air tube fluidlycontiguous with the air inlet channel. In at least one embodiment, thebottle insert further comprises a flow block within the air inletchannel and situated between the air tube and the at least oneadditional air tube.

One or more additional embodiments are directed to a liquid containmentand delivery device that mitigates the glugging phenomena. Accordingly,a liquid containment and delivery device is provided, comprising:

-   -   (a) a bottle having a bottle length B_(L), the bottle including        a bottleneck and a bottle opening having an opening diameter,        the bottleneck having an interior bottleneck wall and a        bottleneck length L_(Bottleneck) extending between a bottle        opening rim at the bottle opening to a bottleneck base at a top        of a bottle taper of the bottle, the bottle opening rim        circumscribing the bottle opening; and    -   (b) a pressure reliever comprising an air tube attached to the        interior bottleneck wall, the air tube including an upper inlet        rim and a lower end edge, the air tube including an air tube        length L_(Air Tube) extending between the upper inlet rim of the        air tube and the lower end edge of the air tube, wherein the        upper inlet rim is positioned within about 0% to 5% of the        bottleneck length L_(Bottleneck) above or below the bottle        opening rim, and wherein the air tube length L_(Air Tube) is        equal to or greater than the bottleneck length L_(Bottleneck)        and equal to or less than about 25% of the bottle length B_(L).

In at least one embodiment, the air tube comprises a flared portion. Inat least one embodiment, the flared portion includes a flared portionbase that does not extend distally beyond the bottleneck base.

One or more embodiments include a pressure equalizer that includes anair tube having a flared portion. Accordingly, an article for holdingand pouring a liquid is provided, comprising:

-   -   a bottle including a bottle wall having an interior surface        defining a chamber, the chamber extending between a bottle        opening and an interior bottom of the bottle, wherein the bottle        opening is located at an end of a bottleneck of the bottle, the        bottleneck including a bottleneck diameter smaller than a        chamber diameter located along a bottle length extending between        the bottle opening and the interior bottom; and    -   a pressure equalizer located within the bottleneck and including        at least one air tube with a flared proximal end having an inlet        rim situated within a rim proximity distance of the bottle        opening, the rim proximity distance equal to about 5% of the        bottleneck length.

In at least one embodiment, the air tube has an air tube length nogreater than about 25% of the bottle length. In at least one embodiment,a distal portion of the air tube extends into a handle of the bottle. Inat least one embodiment, multiple air tubes are used and are situatedsubstantially equidistant around an interior perimeter of thebottleneck. In at least one embodiment, the article further comprises acap, the cap being detachably connected to the pressure equalizer forinstallation in the bottleneck when the cap is applied to the bottle.

In accordance with some embodiments, the air inlet tube variations canbe combined. As an example, it is possible to combine one relativelysmall circular air inlet tube with one rectangular air inlet tube oflarger size and two small triangular tubes that curve, all in onepressure equalizer device.

In use, if a bottle does not include a pressure equalizer that isintegrally made with the bottle, an embodiment of a pressure equalizerinsert can be inserted into the bottleneck of the subject bottle. Thebottle is then tilted to pour the liquid contained in the bottle. Whilepouring the liquid, air enters the bottle via the one or more air tubesof the pressure equalizer as liquid exits the bottle via the open spacesituated around the one or more air tubes.

Various components are referred to herein as “operably associated.” Asused herein, “operably associated” refers to components that are linkedtogether in operable fashion, and encompasses embodiments in whichcomponents are linked directly, as well as embodiments in whichadditional components are placed between the two linked components.

As used herein, “at least one,” “one or more,” and “and/or” areopen-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive inoperation. For example, each of the expressions “at least one of A, Band C,” “at least one of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” “oneor more of A, B, or C” and “A, B, and/or C” means A alone, B alone, Calone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B andC together.

As used herein, a bottle, jug, carton, or similar container device maysimply be referred to as a “bottle.”

Various embodiments of the present disclosures are set forth in theattached figures and in the Detailed Description as provided herein andas embodied by the claims. It should be understood, however, that thisSummary does not contain all of the aspects and embodiments of the oneor more present disclosures, is not meant to be limiting or restrictivein any manner, and that the disclosure(s) as disclosed herein is/areunderstood by those of ordinary skill in the art to encompass obviousimprovements and modifications thereto.

Additional advantages of the present disclosure will become readilyapparent from the following discussion, particularly when taken togetherwith the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To further clarify the above and other advantages and features of thepresent disclosure, a more particular description is rendered byreference to specific embodiments, which are illustrated in the appendeddrawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typicalembodiments and are, therefore, not to be considered limiting of itsscope. The present disclosure is described and explained with additionalspecificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view (taken along line 1-1 as shown inFIG. 2) of a bottle;

FIG. 2 is a top elevation view of the bottle depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the upper portion of thebottle depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4A is a side cross-sectional view (taken along line 4A-4A as shownin FIG. 5) of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 4B is a detailed view of a bottleneck illustrating a rim proximitydistance;

FIG. 4C is another detailed view of a bottleneck illustrating a rimproximity distance;

FIG. 5 is a top elevation view of the device shown in FIG. 4A;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the upper portion of thebottle depicted in FIG. 4A;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the upper portion of thebottle depicted in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a top side perspective view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 9 is a bottom side perspective view of the device shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a top elevation view of the device shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a top perspective view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 12 is a bottom perspective view of the device shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a top perspective view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 14 is a bottom perspective view of the device shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a top perspective view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 16 is a bottom perspective view of the device shown in FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a side cross-sectional view of an embodiment describedherein;

FIG. 18 is a top perspective view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 19 is a bottom perspective view of the device shown in FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a top perspective view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 21 is a bottom perspective view of the device shown in FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 is a top perspective view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 23 is a bottom perspective view of the device shown in FIG. 22;

FIG. 24 is a top perspective view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 25 is a top elevation view of the device shown in FIG. 24;

FIG. 26 is a side cross-sectional of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 27 is a top elevation view of the device shown in FIG. 26;

FIG. 28 is a top perspective view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 29 is a top elevation view of the device shown in FIG. 28;

FIG. 30 is a top perspective view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 31 is a top perspective view of an embodiment described herein andforming a portion of the device shown in FIG. 30;

FIG. 32 is a top perspective view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 33 is a bottom perspective view of the device shown in FIG. 32;

FIG. 34 is a top perspective view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 35 is a bottom perspective view of the device shown in FIG. 34;

FIG. 36 is a top elevation view of the device shown in FIG. 34;

FIG. 37 is a side cross-sectional view of the device shown in FIG. 34(taken along line 37-37 as shown in FIG. 36);

FIG. 38 is a side perspective view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 39 is a top perspective view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 40 is a side perspective view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 41 is a top perspective view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 42 is a side perspective view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 43 is a top perspective view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 44 is a top perspective view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 45A is a side elevational view of a container according toembodiments described herein;

FIG. 45B is a cross-sectional side view (taken along line 45B as shownin FIG. 45C) of a container according to embodiments described herein;

FIG. 45C is a front elevational view of a container according toembodiments described herein;

FIG. 46A is a top perspective view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 46B is a side elevational view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 46C is a bottom perspective view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 47A is a side elevational view of a container according toembodiments described herein;

FIG. 47B is a cross-sectional side view (taken along line 47C as shownin FIG. 47C) of a container according to embodiments described herein;

FIG. 47C is a front elevational view of a container according toembodiments described herein;

FIG. 48A is a top perspective view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 48B is a side elevational view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 48C is a bottom perspective view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 49A is a side elevational view of a container according toembodiments described herein;

FIG. 49B is a top elevational view of a container according toembodiments described herein;

FIG. 50A is a first side elevational view of an embodiment describedherein;

FIG. 50B is a second side elevational view of an embodiment describedherein;

FIG. 50C is a top elevational view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 51A is a front elevational view of a container according toembodiments described herein;

FIG. 51B is a top perspective view of the container depicted in FIG.51A;

FIG. 52A is a side elevational view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 52B is a top perspective view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 53A is a side elevational view of a container according toembodiments described herein;

FIG. 53B is a top perspective view of the container depicted in FIG.53A;

FIG. 54A is a side elevational view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 54B is a top perspective view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 55A is a side elevational view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 55B is a top perspective view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 56A is a isometric view of a container according to embodimentsdescribed herein;

FIG. 56B is a side elevational view of the container depicted in FIG.56A;

FIG. 56C is a cross-sectional view of the container taken along line 56Cas shown in FIG. 56B;

FIG. 57A is an isometric view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 57B is a top perspective view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 58A is a side elevational view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 58B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 58B as shown in FIG.58A;

FIG. 59A is a side elevational view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 59B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 59B as shown in FIG.59A;

FIG. 60A is a side elevational view of an embodiment described herein;

FIG. 60B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 60B as shown in FIG.60A;

FIG. 61A is a side elevational view of an embodiment described herein;and

FIG. 61B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 61B as shown in FIG.61A.

The drawings are not necessarily to scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure include a pressureequalizer insert for placement in a bottle to allow a liquid to bepoured from the bottle while at the same time substantially equalizingair pressure within the bottle with atmospheric air pressure. As aresult, the liquid can be poured from the bottle without the typicalglugging phenomena that generally accompanies pouring liquid from abottle that does not possess the pressure equalizer. One or moreadditional embodiments include bottles having bottlenecks with thepressure equalizer device integrally formed within the bottle duringmanufacture of the bottle. For example, a plastic bottle, carton, or jugcan be manufactured with the pressure equalizer device integrally formedin the bottleneck of the bottle, top of the carton, or neck of the jugwhen the bottle, carton, or jug is produced. The various embodiments ofthe present disclosure are described in the text below and areillustrated in the attached drawings.

Referring now to FIG. 4A, a bottle 100 is shown that includes anembodiment of a pressure equalizer 400 inserted into the bottle 100.More particularly, FIG. 4A depicts a bottle 100 and a pressure equalizer400 in a cross-sectional view, wherein the cross-sectional alignment istaken along line 4A-4A of the top elevation view of the bottle 100 andpressure equalizer 400 depicted in FIG. 5. The pressure equalizer 400 islocated, at least in part, in the bottleneck 152 of the bottle 100. Inat least one embodiment, the pressure equalizer 400 includes at leastone air tube 404. As depicted in FIGS. 4A-10, the pressure equalizer 400is shown with four air tubes 404; however, it is to be understood thatembodiments of the pressure equalizer 400 may include more or less thanfour air tubes 404. More specifically, and as will be discussed in moredetail below, one or more embodiments include a single air tube 404,while other embodiments include two or more air tubes 404. Accordingly,the number of air tubes 404 may vary for a given application.

With continued reference now to FIGS. 4A-10, each air tube 404 is sizedto have an air tube diameter D_(AirTube) of between about 2% to 50% ofthe bottleneck diameter D_(Bottleneck). Here it is noted that forpressure equalizers using small air tubes, multiple air tubes arepreferably used for situations where the air tube diameters D_(AirTube)are at or around 2% of the bottleneck diameter D_(Bottleneck). Althoughair tubes may occupy the entire interior space of the bottleneck (asshown in FIGS. 42 and 43 and discussed below), for any given air tube404 the diameter or equivalent diameter (allowing for different shapedair tubes, also discussed below) for the air tubes 404 preferably doesnot exceed 50% of the bottleneck diameter D_(Bottleneck). In addition,any given air tube 404 should not be so small as to induce capillaryrise of the liquid within the bottle. Accordingly, by way of example andnot limitation, a bottle having a bottleneck diameter D_(Bottleneck)(that is, an inside diameter) of approximately 0.875 inches couldreceive a pressure equalizer 400 with a variety of number and size airtubes, such as air tubes 404 whose diameters vary between about 0.0018inches (2% of 0.875 inches) and about 0.438 inches (50% of 0.875inches).

Referring still to FIGS. 4A-10, and in accordance with at least oneembodiment of the present disclosure, the air tubes 404 include an upperinlet rim 408 and a lower end edge 412. Accordingly, the air tubes 404have an air tube length L_(Air Tube) extending between the upper inletrim 408 and the lower end edge 412. In at least one embodiment, theupper inlet rim 408 is configured for positioning substantially evenwith the bottle rim 136. Alternatively, in at least one embodiment theupper inlet rim 408 of the air tubes 404 is situated within a rimproximity distance 414 of about 5% of the bottleneck lengthL_(Bottleneck) either above (as best seen in FIG. 4B) or below (as bestseen in FIG. 4C) of the bottle rim 136. In addition, in at least oneembodiment, the air tube length L_(Air Tube) is equal to or greater thanthe bottleneck length L_(Bottleneck) and equal to or less than about 25%of the bottle length B_(L) (i.e., L_(Bottleneck)≤L_(Air Tube)≤25%B_(L)). Accordingly, by way of example and not limitation, a bottlehaving a bottleneck length L_(Bottleneck) of 1.0 inch and a bottlelength B_(L) of 8.0 inches could receive a pressure equalizer 400 thatincludes one or more air tubes 404 whose upper inlet rim 408 is within0.05 inches (5% of 1.0 inch) above or below the bottle rim 136, andwhose air tube length L_(Air Tube) is greater than or equal to 1.0 inch(the value of the bottleneck length L_(Bottleneck)) and less than orequal to about 2.5 inches (25% of 8.0 inches).

Referring now to FIGS. 8 and 9, perspective views of pressure equalizer400 are shown. As described above, the pressure equalizer 400 includes aplurality of air tubes 404, and more specifically, four air tubes 404are shown arranged substantially equidistant around the circumferenceand within a perimeter member 416. For embodiments wherein the pressureequalizer 400 is an insert, the perimeter member 416 is configured tofixedly engage (e.g., by friction fit, threads, welding, adhesive,and/or fastener) the interior surface 128 of the bottleneck 152 of thebottle 100. Alternatively, if the pressure equalizer 400 is integrallyformed as part of the bottle 100, then the air tubes 404 may bepositioned directly around the interior surface 128 of the bottleneck152.

Referring now to FIG. 10, in at least one embodiment the thickness ofthe perimeter member 416 includes a portion of the wall of the air tube404. More particularly, each air tube 404 includes a tube wall thicknessT_(Air Tube Wall). The tube wall thickness T_(Air Tube Wall) forms aportion of the perimeter member 416. Or, said differently, a portion ofthe perimeter wall thickness T_(Perimeter Wall) forms a portion of theair tube 404.

As noted above, pressure equalizers with one or more air tubes comprisevarious embodiments of the present disclosure. With reference now toFIGS. 11 and 12, a pressure equalizer 1100 is shown comprising aplurality of air tubes 404, and more specifically, three air tubes 404.The air tubes 404 of pressure equalizer 1100 are situated substantiallyat equal distances from one another around the circumference of theperimeter member 416. Again, for an insert, the perimeter member 416 isadapted to engage at least a portion of the interior surface 128 of thebottleneck 152 of a bottle 100. If made integrally with the bottle 100,then the three air tubes 404 of pressure equalizer 1100 are attached toa portion of the interior surface 128 of the bottle wall 104 of thebottleneck 152 of a bottle 100.

Referring now to FIGS. 13 and 14, and in accordance with at least oneembodiment, a pressure equalizer 1300 is shown that includes a pluralityof air tubes 1304, wherein the air tubes have a cross-sectional shapeother than circular. More specifically, the air tubes 1304 comprises aperimeter section 1308 having an arc 1310 that substantially matches thecurvature of a portion of the perimeter member 416 (for an insert) orthe interior surface 128 of the bottleneck 152 (for an integrally formedpressure equalizer). The air tubes 1304 further include a substantiallyplanar interior portion 1312. In cross section, the air tubes 1304 aresubstantially that of a segment of a circle. Although of a differentcross-sectional shape, the air tubes 1304 preferably include anequivalent diameter (by measuring the cross-sectional area of the airtube 1304 and solving for an equivalent diameter) that resides withinthe prescribed range of about 2% to 50% of the bottleneck diameterD_(Bottleneck). In addition, the length of the air tubes 1304 preferablyalso be within the prescribed values given above (that is,L_(Bottleneek)≤L_(Air Tube)≤25% B_(L)). Use of a portion of theperimeter member 416 as part of the air tubes 1304 is advantageousbecause less materials are used in the manufacturing process.

Referring now to FIGS. 15 and 16, in at least one embodiment a pressureequalizer 1500 comprises air tubes 404 that include curved portionsalong their longitudinal length, such as along distal portions of theirlength. Such distal curved portions 1504 may provide advantageousrouting of air as fluid exits the liquid flow channel of the pressureequalizer and air enters the bottle through the air tubes 404.

With reference now to FIG. 17, and in accordance with at least oneembodiment of the present disclosure, a bottle in the form of a jug 1700is shown that includes a pressure equalizer 1704 comprising a single airtube 404 having a curved distal portion 1504. The curved distal portion1504 extends into a handle 1708 of the jug 1700. Accordingly, a singleair tube located opposite the side of pour can prevent the gluggingeffect. FIGS. 18 and 19 illustrate top and bottom perspective views,respectively, of an insert type of pressure equalizer 1704.

Referring now to FIGS. 20-23, and in accordance with at least oneembodiment, a series of pressure equalizers are shown that include asingle air tube having cross-sectional area shapes different from acircle. More particularly, FIGS. 20 and 21 illustrate a pressureequalizer 2000 with air tubes 2004, wherein the air tubes 2004 comprisea substantially rectangular cross-sectional area shape. FIGS. 22 and 23illustrate a pressure equalizer 2200 with air tubes 2204, wherein theair tubes 2204 comprise a substantially triangular cross-sectional areashape. Here, it noted that the air tubes 2004 and 2204 comprise aperimeter portion 2008 and 2208 that substantially match the curvatureof a portion of the perimeter member 416. That is, an arc 1310 isassociated with the perimeter portions 2008 and 2208 that substantiallymatch the curvature of a portion of the perimeter member 416 (for aninsert) or the interior surface 128 of the bottleneck 152 (for anintegrally formed pressure equalizer).

Referring now to FIGS. 24 and 25, a pressure equalizer 2400 is shownthat includes a single air tube 404, wherein the air tube is interiorlyoffset from perimeter wings, the perimeter wings constituting modifiedperimeter member. For pressure equalizer 2400, the air tube 404 residesalong struts 2408 that interconnect the air tube 404 to a firstperimeter wing 2404 a and a second perimeter wing 2404 b. As with otherembodiments described herein, for embodiments wherein the pressureequalizer 2400 is an insert, the perimeter wings 2404 a and 2404 b areconfigured to fixedly engage (e.g., by friction fit, threads, welding,adhesive, and/or fastener) the interior surface 128 of the bottleneck152 of the bottle 100. Alternatively, if the pressure equalizer 2400 isintegrally formed as part of the bottle 100, then struts 2408interconnect the air tube 404 to the interior surface 128 of thebottleneck 152.

For the various embodiments of the pressure equalizers described above,the cross-sectional areas of the air tubes are depicted as beingsubstantially constant from the upper inlet rim 408 to the lower endedge 412 of each air tube 404. However, it is to be understood that thecross-sectional areas may vary. Moreover, with reference now to FIGS.26-29, and in accordance with at least one embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a pressure equalizer 2600 is provided having one or more airtubes 2604, wherein the air tubes 2604 include a proximal end 2608 witha flared portion 2612. Accordingly, because of the presence of theflared portion 2612, the cross-sectional area of the air tube 2604decreases along at least a portion of the longitudinal length of the airtube 2604. That is, from the upper inlet rim 408 to the flared portionbase 2616. In at least one embodiment, the flared portion 2612 extendsdistally no further than the bottleneck base 160 of the bottleneck 152.From the flared portion base 2616 of the flared portion 2612 to thelower end edge 412 of the air tubes 2604, the air tubes 2604 have asubstantially constant air tube diameter D_(Air Tube) that resideswithin the prescribed range of about 2% to 50% of the bottleneckdiameter D_(Bottleneck). In addition, the length of the air tubes 2604preferably also be within the prescribed values given above (that is,LB_(Bottleneck)≤L_(Air Tube)≤25% B_(L)). Use of a flared portion 2612 aspart of the air tubes 2604 is advantageous because it assists in routingthe liquid away from the top of the air tubes, thereby mitigating thetop of the air tubes from being flooded by the liquid exiting thecontainer, allowing air to more easily enter the air inlet tubes.

With reference now to FIGS. 28 and 29, the pressure equalizer 2600 isdepicted as an insert. Accordingly, for embodiments wherein the pressureequalizer 2600 is an insert, the perimeter member 416 is configured tofixedly engage (e.g., by friction fit, threads, welding, adhesive,and/or fastener) the interior surface 128 of the bottleneck 152 of thebottle 100. Alternatively, if the pressure equalizer 2600 is integrallyformed as part of the bottle 100, then the air tubes 2604 are positioneddirectly around the interior surface 128 of the bottleneck 152.

Referring now to FIG. 30, and in accordance with at least one embodimentof the present disclosure, a bottle 100 is shown that includes pressureequalizer 3000 that includes a single air tube 3004. As best seen inFIG. 31, the single air tube 3004 includes a flared portion 2612. In atleast one embodiment, the flared portion includes an arc 1310 associatedwith a perimeter portion 3008 that substantially matches the curvatureof a portion of the perimeter member 416 (for an insert) or the interiorsurface 128 of the bottleneck 152 (for an integrally formed pressureequalizer). Use of a flared portion 2612 as part of the air tube 3004 isadvantageous because a single air tube 3004 can be associated with abottle without a handle and the liquid can be poured without gluggingand without regard to the direction that the bottle is oriented.

Referring now to FIGS. 32 and 33, in at least one embodiment a pressureequalizer 3200 includes a perimeter air inlet channel 3204 and one ormore air tubes 3208. The air tubes 3208 are in fluid communication withthe perimeter air inlet channel 3204 to facilitate flow of air from theperimeter air inlet channel 3204 to the one or more air tubes 3208 whenliquid is being poured from a bottle having the pressure equalizer 3200.As shown in FIG. 32, the perimeter air channel 3204 includes a perimetermember 416, a base 3300 (as best seen in FIG. 33), and an interiorchannel wall 3216 that is substantially parallel to the perimeter member416, but offset radially to the interior of the perimeter member 416.The base 3300 may be a sloped region between the perimeter member 416and the interior channel wall 3216. Again, for embodiments wherein thepressure equalizer 3200 is an integral portion of a bottle, theperimeter member 416 may be a portion of the bottle wall 104, such as aportion of the bottleneck 152. In at least one embodiment, an upper rim3228 of the perimeter air inlet channel 3204 substantially correspondsto the bottle rim 136 when the pressure equalizer 3200 is associatedwith a bottle 100.

Referring now to FIG. 33, in at least one embodiment, the upper extent3304 of the air tube 3208 terminates at the base 3300 of the perimeterair channel 3204. Alternatively, the upper extent 3304 of the air tubemay be situated above the base 3300 of the perimeter air channel 3204,but below the upper rim 3228 of the perimeter air channel 3204.

As depicted in FIG. 32, a channel top 3220 of the perimeter air inletchannel 3204 may be open. Alternatively, at least portions of thechannel top 3220 may be closed (not shown) while one or more otherportions of the channel top are open.

Still referring to FIGS. 32 and 33, in use, regardless of the directionthe bottle is oriented for pouring of the liquid relative to the one ormore air inlet tubes 3208, air can enter the bottle via the perimeterair inlet channel 3204 and the one or more air tubes 3208 as fluid ispoured from the bottle via exit channel 3224.

Referring now to FIGS. 34-37, in at least one embodiment, a pressureequalizer 3400 includes a plurality of air tubes 3208 fluidlyinterconnected to a perimeter air channel 3204, wherein the perimeterair channel 3204 may comprise one or more flow blocks 3404. Moreparticularly, the pressure equalizer 3400 includes a plurality of airtubes 3208 that are interconnected to the perimeter air channel 3204 atits base 3300. The perimeter air channel 3204 includes flow blocks 3404for preventing migration of liquid around the perimeter air channel 3204when a bottle using the pressure equalizer 3400 is tipped for pouring aliquid from the bottle. At least one air tube of the plurality of airtubes 3208 is situated circumferentially between the flow blocks 3404around the perimeter air channel 3204.

Referring now to FIGS. 38 and 39, in at least one embodiment of thepresent disclosure, a pressure equalizer 3800 is shown that includes aplurality of air tubes 3804. Although not required, the air tubes areshown clustered within approximately one half of the bottleneck 152. Theair tubes 3804 preferably have an air tube length L_(Air Tube) withinthe prescribed values given above (that is,L_(Bottleneck)≤L_(Air Tube)≤25% B_(L)). In addition, each of the airtubes 3804 preferably has an air tube diameter D_(Air Tube) of betweenabout 2% to 50% of the bottleneck diameter D_(Bottleneck). For thepressure equalizer 3800 shown in FIGS. 38 and 39, there are ten separateair tubes 3804 shown. However, it is to be understood that greater orfewer than ten separate air tubes 3804 are within the scope of thepresent embodiment. The air tubes 3804 may have uniform air tubediameters, or they may have differing air tube diameters. In addition,one or more of the air tubes 3804 may have flared portions. At least aportion of the upper inlet rim 408 of the air tubes 3804 is preferablysituated within a rim proximity distance that is less than or equal to5% of the bottleneck length L_(Bottleneck).

Referring still to FIGS. 38 and 39, and as with other embodimentsdescribed and shown herein, when in use, air may enter the bottle 100through one or more of the air tubes 3804. In addition, liquid may exitthe bottle 100 through one or more of the air tubes 3804 as air entersother air tubes 3804. However, the existence of multiple air tubes 3804facilitates separate flow paths for air to enter the bottle 100, therebyenabling air to find a path into the bottle 100 while the liquid exitsthe bottle 100.

With reference to FIG. 39, the pressure equalizer 3800 is depicted as aninsert. Accordingly, for embodiments wherein the pressure equalizer 3800is an insert, the perimeter member 416 is configured to fixedly engage(e.g., by friction fit, threads, welding, adhesive, and/or fastener) theinterior surface 128 of the bottleneck 152 of the bottle 100.Alternatively, if the pressure equalizer 3800 is integrally formed aspart of the bottle 100, then the air tubes 3804 are positioned around aportion of the interior surface 128 of the bottleneck 152, and a numberof the air tubes 3804 may be connected or interconnected to each other,particularly those air tubes 3804 residing within the inner interiorportion of the bottleneck 152 and not situated directly adjacent theinterior surface 128 of the bottleneck 152.

Referring now to FIGS. 40 and 41, in at least one embodiment of thepresent disclosure, a pressure equalizer 4000 is shown that includes aplurality of air tubes 4004. The pressure equalizer 4000 has particularapplication to situations wherein a high volume and/or a high flow rateof liquid is anticipated. As can be seen, the plurality of air tubes4004 occupies a significant portion of the bottleneck 152. The air tubes4004 preferably have an air tube length L_(Air Tube) within theprescribed values given above (that is, L_(Bottleneck)≤L_(Air Tube)≤25%B_(L)). In addition, each of the air tubes 4004 preferably has an airtube diameter DAR. Tube of between about 2% to 50% of the bottleneckdiameter D_(Bottleneck). For the pressure equalizer 4000 shown in FIGS.40 and 41, there are nineteen separate air tubes 4004 shown. However, itis to be understood that greater or fewer than nineteen separate airtubes 4004 are within the scope of the present embodiment. The air tubes4004 may have uniform air tube diameters, or they may have differing airtube diameters. In addition, one or more of the air tubes 4004 may haveflared portions.

With reference to FIG. 41, the pressure equalizer 4000 is depicted as aninsert. Accordingly, for embodiments wherein the pressure equalizer 4000is an insert, the perimeter member 416 is configured to fixedly engage(e.g., by friction fit, threads, welding, adhesive, and/or fastener) theinterior surface 128 of the bottleneck 152 of the bottle 100.Alternatively, if the pressure equalizer 4000 is integrally formed aspart of the bottle 100, then the air tubes 4004 are positioned around aportion of the interior surface 128 of the bottleneck 152, and a numberof the air tubes 4004 may be connected or interconnected to each other,particularly those air tubes 4004 residing within the inner interiorportion of the bottleneck 152 and not situated directly adjacent theinterior surface 128 of the bottleneck 152.

Referring still to FIGS. 40 and 41, and as with other embodimentsdescribed and shown herein, when in use, air may enter the bottle 100through one or more of the air tubes 4004. In addition, liquid may exitthe bottle 100 through one or more of the air tubes 4004 as air entersother air tubes 4004. However, the existence of multiple air tubes 4004facilitates separate flow paths for air to enter the bottle, therebyenabling air to find a path into the bottle 100 while the liquid exitsthe bottle 100.

Referring now to FIGS. 42 and 43, in at least one embodiment of thepresent disclosure, a pressure equalizer 4200 is shown that includes aplurality of air tubes 4204 that resided within an air tube assembly4208. As with pressure equalizer 4000, the pressure equalizer 4200 hasparticular application to situations wherein a high volume and/or a highflow rate of liquid is anticipated. As can be seen, the plurality of airtubes 4204 occupy a significant portion of the bottleneck 152. The airtubes 4204 preferably have an air tube length L_(Air Tube) within theprescribed values given above (that is, L_(Bottleneck)≤L_(Air Tube)≤25%B_(L)). In addition, each of the air tubes 4204 preferably has an airtube diameter D_(AirTube) (or equivalent air tube diameter as describedherein) of between about 2% to 50% of the bottleneck diameterD_(Bottleneck). For the pressure equalizer 4200 shown in FIGS. 42 and43, there are three concentric rings of air tubes with a further centralair tube. The air tubes 4204 may have substantially uniformcross-sectional areas, or they may have differing cross-sectional areaswith differing shapes. In addition, the air tubes 4204 residing withinthe air tube assembly 4208 may form a pattern or they may be randomlyarranged. In addition, one or more of the air tubes 4204 may have flaredportions.

With reference to FIG. 43, the pressure equalizer 4200 is depicted as aninsert. Accordingly, for embodiments wherein the pressure equalizer 4200is an insert, the perimeter member 416 is configured to fixedly engage(e.g., by friction fit, threads, welding, adhesive, and/or fastener) theinterior surface 128 of the bottleneck 152 of the bottle 100.Alternatively, if the pressure equalizer 4200 is integrally formed aspart of the bottle 100, then the air tubes 4204 are positioned around aportion of the interior surface 128 of the bottleneck 152, and a numberof the air tubes 4204 may be connected or interconnected to each other,particularly those air tubes 4204 residing within the inner interiorportion of the bottleneck 152 and not situated directly adjacent theinterior surface 128 of the bottleneck 152. Sidewalls between the airtubes 4204 may be shared.

Referring still to FIGS. 42 and 43, and as with other embodimentsdescribed and shown herein, when in use, air may enter the bottle 100through one or more of the air tubes 4204. In addition, liquid may exitthe bottle 100 through one or more of the air tubes 4204 as air entersother air tubes 4204. However, the existence of multiple air tubes 4204facilitates separate flow paths for air to enter the bottle, therebyenabling air to find a path into the bottle 100 while the liquid exitsthe bottle 100.

Referring now to FIG. 44, and in accordance with at least one embodimentof the present disclosure, a carrier cap 4400 is shown that incorporatesa cap 148 with a pressure equalizer, such as any one of the pressureequalizers described herein. By attaching a pressure equalizer to theinside of a bottle cap 148, a snap-capper or a rotary-chuck cappingmachine can install the pressure equalizer at the same time as thebottle is being capped, using the same machinery. Such a configurationprovides time and cost savings for utilization of the pressureequalizers described herein. The pressure equalizer insert is attachedto the cap in a similar way as the safety strip that is currently usedto secure caps on bottles, such as two-liter beverage bottles.Accordingly, caps with pressure equalizer inserts are operativelyassociated with a bottle 100 when the caps 148 are applied with cappingmachines that insert the pressure equalizers with the caps 148 afterfilling the bottles 100. The bottle 100 is then ready for use by theconsumer, and the previously installed pressure equalizer is in placefor mitigating glugging when the liquid is poured from the bottle 100.Accordingly, in use, the pressure equalizer breaks free from the cap 148when the consumer twists off the cap 148 for the first time in the sameway that the consumer breaks the safety strip.

Referring now to FIGS. 45A-C, another embodiment of a container 45 willbe described in accordance with at least some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. Although the term “container” will be used with respect tothis and other embodiments, it should be appreciated that term“container” as well as the term “bottle” used herein can both be used torefer to any liquid holding and/or dispensing unit.

The container 45, in some embodiments, corresponds to traditional gabletop packaging. In this embodiment, the container 45 comprises anintegral pressure equalizer 4500. The pressure equalizer 4500 may bemanufactured such that its outer surfaces which are exposed above thetop of the container 45 are similar or identical to traditional spoutfitments that are ultrasonically welded to the container 45.Accordingly, the pressure equalizer 4500 may be configured to beultrasonically welded to the container 45 and, therefore, can become anintegral part of the container 45.

One difference between the container 45 and other bottles discussedherein is that the container 45 does not comprise a “neck” per se.However, the “bottle length” of the container 45 may be equal to theentire length of the container 45 from its base to its top most portionwithin the cavity of the container 45. The “bottleneck length” of thecontainer 45 may be equal to the height of the tilted opening of thecontainer (e.g., from top of outer rim to bottom of outer rim).

In some embodiments, the inner surfaces of the pressure equalizer 4500may be similar to other pressure equalizers discussed herein. As can beseen in FIGS. 45B-C and 46A-C, the pressure equalizer 4500 may comprisean air tube 4504, which extends from an upper inlet rim 4508 to a lowerend edge 4512. The air tube 4504, in some embodiments may becylindrical. In some embodiments, the air tube 4504 comprises across-sectional shape other than circular (e.g., elliptical, square,rectangular, triangular, etc.). In some embodiments, the air tube 4504may have a tapered portion whereby the cross-sectional area of the airtube 4504 closer to the upper inlet rim 4508 is larger than thecross-sectional area of the air tube 4504 closer to the lower end edge4512.

Another aspect of the pressure equalizer 4500 is that the outer surface4524 may be configured to emulate traditional spout fitments that areintegrated into containers similar to container 45. In particular, theouter surface 4524 of the pressure equalizer 4500 may comprise one ormore threads 4516 at its top most portion as well as a rim 4520positioned at some point below the threads 4516. The rim 4520 may extendbeyond the outer circumference of the threads 4516 and the rim 4520 maycomprise a thickness that is comparable to the thickness of the wall ofthe container 45. In some embodiments, a transition feature 4528 residesbetween the threads 4516 and the rim 4520, although a transition feature4528 is not required.

An inner surface 4532 of the pressure equalizer 4500 may be similar tothe inner surfaces of other pressure equalizers discussed herein in thatthe inner surface 4532 may be generally cylindrical in nature exceptwhere the cylinder is disrupted by the air tube 4504 which is integratedinto the perimeter member. The difference with this pressure equalizer4500 is that the perimeter member comprises an outer surface 4524 withfeatures which are configured to receive a screw-on-lid rather than toslide into the neck of a container.

In some embodiments, the air tube 4504 extends beyond the rim 4520 butis not more than three times longer than the length between the rim 4520and top of the pressure equalizer 4500. In some embodiments, the airtube 4504 may not have a length greater than twice the length of theinner cylindrical surface 4532 of the perimeter member.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is that the pressure equalizersdescried herein do not necessarily have to be designed as inserts forcontainers. Rather, the pressure equalizer 4500 provides but one exampleof a pressure equalizer which is a spout fitment that can beultrasonically welded to (or otherwise connected to) the container 45.

With reference now to FIGS. 47A-C, a container 47 similar to container45 will be described in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure. Container 47 also comprises an integrated pressure equalizer4700. As can be seen in FIGS. 47B-C and 48A-C, the pressure equalizer4700 may have an outer surface 4724 that is similar or identical to theouter surface 4524 of pressure equalizer 4500. Specifically, the outersurface 4724 of pressure equalizer 4700 may comprise threads 4716, a rim4720, and a transition feature 4728 located between the threads 4716 andrim 4720. The pressure equalizer 4700 may be configured to be integratedinto the container 47 during the container 47 manufacturing processrather than being inserted into the container 47 after it has beenmanufactured.

The pressure equalizer 4700 differs from pressure equalizer 4500,however, in that pressure equalizer 4700 comprises a plurality of airtubes 4704 located on the inner surface 4732 of the perimeter member.Each of the air tubes 4704 may comprise an upper inlet rim 4708 and alower end edge 4712. In some embodiments, the air tubes 4704 extendbeyond the rim 4720 but are not more than three times longer than thelength between the rim 4720 and top of the pressure equalizer 4700. Insome embodiments, the air tubes 4704 may not have a length greater thantwice the length of the inner cylindrical surface 4732 of the perimetermember.

In some embodiments, the length of each air tube 4704 may be the samewithin a machining tolerance. In some embodiments, the length of one airtube 4704 may differ from the length of at least one other air tube4704. In some embodiments, the lengths of two or more air tubes 4704 maydiffer from each other as well as at least one other air tube 4704. Insome embodiments, the air tubes 4704 are positioned symmetrically aroundthe inner surface 4732 of the pressure equalizer 4700, while in otherembodiments the air tubes 4704 may be positioned asymmetrically aroundthe inner surface 4732.

FIGS. 49A-B depict yet another container 49 in accordance with at leastsome embodiments of the present disclosure. The container 49 may besimilar or identical to the jug 1700. However, as can be seen in FIGS.50A-C, the pressure equalizer 4900 designed for the container 49 may bespecifically designed to conform to the inner surfaces of the container49. More specifically, the container 49 may comprise a plurality ofinternal depressions or features along its bottleneck. In someembodiments, the pressure equalizer 4900 may comprise a number ofexternal features cut into the tops/outer surface(s) of the air tubes4904. As a non-limiting example, for conforming with the interior of thecontainer 49, the pressure equalizer 4900 may comprise a first taperedsection 4908 just below the top surface of the pressure equalizer 4900.Below the first tapered section 4908 there may be a first outer surface4912 that partially cut into the air tubes 4904. The first outer surface3912 may comprise a first diameter that conforms with an upper-mostdiameter of the bottleneck in container 49.

A first transition feature 4916 may be provided that separates the firstouter surface 4912 from a second outer surface 4920. In someembodiments, the first transition feature 4916 comprises a stair-stepfeature and the second outer surface 4920 comprises a second diameterthat is larger than the first diameter of the first outer surface 4912.Furthermore, the second diameter may conform with a second diameter ofthe bottleneck in container 49. It should be appreciated that thecontainer 49 comprises additional internal features, the outer surfaceof the pressure equalizer 4900 may be cut, molded, or otherwisemanufactured to conform therewith.

In some embodiments, the pressure may further comprise a rim 4924 thatlocks into a notch established in the interior of the container 49. Therim 4924 may further comprise one or more notches 4928 if the internalnature of the container 49 requires such a feature to conform therewith.Other features may be incorporated into the exterior of the pressureequalizer 4900 depending upon the type of container or bottle into whichpressure equalizer 4900 is inserted.

Another aspect of the present disclosure will now be discussed inconnection with FIGS. 50A-B. In some embodiments, the pressure equalizer4900 may be compressed or squeezed by forces applied on its outersurface such that the diameter of the pressure equalizer 4900 at anycircumference is reduced. In particular, FIG. 50A shows the pressureequalizer 4900 in a first state or pinched state. FIG. 50B shows thepressure equalizer 4900 in a second state or un-pinched state. Byproviding the pressure equalizer 4900 with the ability to temporarilydeform under pressure and then return to its original geometry when thepressure is removed, the pressure equalizer 4900 can be more easilyinserted into the bottlenecks of various containers or bottles.Furthermore, where a pressure equalizer 4900 is provided with one ormore features on its outer surface, it is advantageous to pinch thepressure equalizer 4900 and then insert the pressure equalizer 4900 intothe container 49. Once inserted, the pressure equalizer 4900 can bereleased, thereby allowing the pressure equalizer 4900 to return to itsinitial geometry and recess itself into the depressions/features withinthe inside of the container 49.

In some embodiments it may be desirable to provide a pressure equalizer4900 that is constructed of a material that is capable of deformingelastically under compression or tension such that its largest externalfeature can fit within the smallest internal feature of the container's49 bottleneck. More specifically, the pressure equalizer 4900 may be atleast partially constructed of a polymer such as plastic, rubber, andthe like. Even more specifically, the pressure equalizer 4900 may beconstructed of any recyclable material and the type of material selectedfor manufacturing the pressure equalizer 4900 may be based on thematerial(s) used to construct the container/bottle. In some embodiments,the material used for the pressure equalizer 4900 may correspond to thesame material used to make the container 49. More specific examples ofmaterials that may be used to construct the pressure equalizer 4900 andother pressure equalizers described herein include, without limitation,polyethylene (high-density and low-density), polyethylene terephthalate(PET), polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC),polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polycarbonate (PC), epoxy, polyamide(PA) or nylon, rubber, synthetic rubber, cellulose-based plastics,glass, or combinations thereof.

Another aspect of the present disclosure will now be discussed inconnection with FIGS. 51A-52B. In particular, a modified container 51 isdepicted having a pressure equalizer 5100 integrated thereto. Details ofthe pressure equalizer 5100 are depicted in FIGS. 52A and 52B.

In some embodiments, the container 51 comprises a neck and shoulder asin prior art containers, except that a portion of the neck is removedand the pressure equalizer 5100 is mounted to the remaining lowerportion of the container 51. By removing a portion of the neck, theamount of material required to produce the container 51 can be reduced.Furthermore, the most common point of failure in containers is the neckportion. By removing a portion of the neck, the strength of thecontainer 51 (e.g., as measured by withstanding compression forcesapplied at the top of the container 51) is greatly increased, therebyenabling thinner sidewalls and further reducing the amount of materialrequired to manufacture the container 51.

It should be appreciated that any of the pressure equalizers describedherein may be used to greatly decrease the amount of material requiredto manufacture the container as a whole. In particular, while additionalmaterials may be needed to construct the various component parts of thepressure equalizer, those additional materials are more than offset bythe amount of material savings that can be realized for the container asa whole, thereby reducing the overall amount of material used tomanufacture a container.

Indeed, even without using pressure equalizers as described herein, wallthickness and other innovations have reduced weight and plastic(particularly PET) consumption, creating 500 ml bottles that weigh aslittle as 9.2 grams and have and interior bottleneck diameter ofapproximately 21.8 mm. In accordance with at least some embodiments ofthe present disclosure, however, a pressure equalizer can be used tofurther reduce the amount of material required to produce a 500 mlbottle made from PET (or a similar plastic/resin). As one non-limitingexample, by implementing a pressure equalizer as described herein, thebottleneck diameter may be reduced to approximately 11.5 mm and theundesirable glugging can be avoided. Furthermore, by employing apressure equalizer as described herein, the overall weight of a 500 mlbottle made from PET can be reduced by approximately 8.5 to 14.5 percent(e.g., have a weight of approximately 8.42 grams to approximately 7.87grams). Indeed, a 500 ml bottle can be achieved with significantly lessmaterial, even though more material is included at the bottleneckvis-à-vis the pressure equalizer. These material savings result insubstantial savings to bottle manufacturers and manufacturers of othertypes of containers. Meanwhile, the container now has the ability topour liquids accurately and without glug, whereas if a container weremanufactured with the smaller bottleneck of approximately 11.5 mmwithout a pressure equalizer, it would take significantly longer forfluid to pour from the container.

One or more of the pressure equalizer designs described herein may becapable of reducing material requirements by up to 20 percent ascompared to the most aggressive current container designs. Inparticular, certain embodiments of a pressure equalizer described hereinhave been shown to achieve 500 ml containers that are 20 percent lighterthan current state-of-the-art 500 ml containers manufactured withsimilar materials. As material costs continue to increase, any amount ofmaterial savings without negatively impacting the container'sperformance is seen as a monumental step forward.

Another advantage is that a smaller diameter bottleneck or opening maybe employed even when the container has hard or rigid sidewalls alongits body. In other words, the pressure equalizer may allow liquids (evenhighly viscous ones) to exit the container through a smaller openingwithout requiring the sidewalls to be highly deformable. Thisessentially means that structural integrity of the container can bemaintained while simultaneously decreasing the diameter of thebottleneck/opening.

As can be seen in FIG. 51A, the pressure equalizer 5100 may comprise aflange 5104. The flange 5104 may be used as the point of connectionbetween the pressure equalizer 5100 and the rest of the container 51. Insome embodiments, the pressure equalizer 5100 may be produced in onemanufacturing step and the body and neck of the container 51 may beproduced in a separate manufacturing step. The flange 5104 provides thepoint of contact between the pressure equalizer 5100 and the container51 and may be the point where the pressure equalizer 5100 is connectedto the container 51 (e.g., via ultrasonic welding, heat-based welding,radio frequency welding, gluing, or the like).

In some embodiments, the pressure equalizer 5100 and its component partsmay be constructed of a material that is similar or identical to thematerial used to construct the container 51. The component parts of thepressure equalizer 5100, in some embodiments, may include the flange5104 that separates an upper portion 5204 from a lower portion 5208 ofthe pressure equalizer 5100. The upper portion may include threads 5212and a neck 5216 that is positioned between the flange 5104 and a capstop. As with other pressure equalizers discussed herein, the pressureequalizer 5100 may also comprise a number of air tubes 5220 that extendfrom the top of the opening of the pressure equalizer 5100 through thetop portion 5204 and the bottom portion 5208. The air tubes 5220 may beconstructed by sidewalls 5232 that separate the main outlet 5224 fromthe air inlet portions 5228. In some embodiments, the tubes 5220 may beconstructed of extruded plastic tubes that are cut to dimension and thenattached to the inner walls of the pressure equalizer 5100. Such amanufacturing process enables a quicker and more cost-effective optionfor producing the finished container 51. Specifically, the body of thecontainer 51 can be manufactured via known methods and the pressureequalizer 5100 may be attached to the shoulder of the container 51 in aseparate manufacturing step.

In some embodiments, the diameter of the flange 5104 can be larger thanthe diameter of the shoulder of the container 51 to which the flange5104 is attached. By providing a larger flange 5104, the manufacturingprocess can be completed with more flexibility. In particular, there canbe some room for error in the placement of the pressure equalizer 5100relative to the shoulder of the container 51. This makes themanufacturing process both faster and more cost-effective.

With reference now to FIGS. 53A-55B, another container 53 will bedescribed in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Thecontainer 53 may be constructed similarly to the container 51 in thatthe portion of the container 53 above its shoulders (e.g., the pressureequalizer 5304) can be manufactured in a separate manufacturing processfrom the portion of the container 53 below its shoulders (e.g., the bodyportion 55).

The embodiment of the container 53 differs from container 51 in that thepressure equalizer 5304 comprises a shoulder and neck portion 5308 thatis skinnier (e.g., of a smaller diameter) than the shoulder and neckportion of a traditional container. Furthermore, the entirety of thepressure equalizer 5304 is above its flange 5312. As can be seen inFIGS. 54A and 54B, the pressure equalizer 5304 may comprise a capstopper 5404 below the threading and the shoulder and neck portion 5308.The taper of the shoulder and neck portion 5308 is greater than thetaper of a shoulder and neck portion of a traditional two liter bottle.Accordingly, the diameter of the container 53 is the same at the flange5312, but the diameter of the opening of the pressure equalizer 5304 issignificantly less than a diameter of the opening in a traditional twoliter bottle. In some embodiments, the diameter of the opening of thepressure equalizer 5304 is around about 10.5 mm (inner diameter ofopening). Most traditional two liter bottles have an opening diameter ofabout 22.23 mm (inner diameter of opening). Accordingly, the pressureequalizer 5304 enables a diameter of less than half of traditionalbottles, while also allowing liquids to pour through smoothly andwithout “glug.”

In some embodiments, the pressure equalizer 5304 comprises an openingdiameter of about 10.5 mm and can accommodate the smooth (e.g., without“glug”) pouring of many types of liquids having various viscosities. Assome non-limiting examples, the container 53 can hold liquids having aviscosity approximately equal to water at approximately similartemperatures. Even more specifically, the pressure equalizer 5304enables the smooth pouring of liquids having a dynamic viscosity ofapproximately 1000 Centipoise at 20 degrees Celsius. Fluids havingviscosities greater than water at room temperature (e.g., similar tomolasses or oil at room temperature) may also be poured out of thecontainer 53 through the pressure equalizer 5304 without glugging. Byproviding a container 53 with a smaller opening, the accuracy with whichfluid is poured out of the container 53 can be greatly increased.Simultaneously, the material costs for the container 53 can be reducedbecause the overall amount of material required to produce the container53 is also reduced. Further still, it is possible to achieve a container53 with a smaller opening that does not have deformable walls. Rather, atypical bottle or container having substantially non-deformable bodywalls (e.g., body sidewalls that are not designed to be deformed orotherwise squeezed so as to completely depress the body of thecontainer). In particular, the container 53 may be manufactured from asemi-crystalline PET and may have a density as described in U.S. PatentPublication No. 2007/0108156, the entire contents of which are herebyincorporated herein by reference.

Referring back to FIGS. 54A and 54B, the component parts of the pressureequalizer 5304 may further include a main outlet port 5408, one or moreair inlets 5412, and one or more dividing walls 5416 that separate theair inlets 5412 from the main outlet port 5408. Similar to the pressureequalizer 5100 and other pressure equalizers discussed herein, thenumber of air inlets 5412 can vary without departing from the scope ofthe present disclosure.

FIGS. 55A and 55B show an intermediate container 55 before the pressureequalizer 5304 is attached thereto. The intermediate container 55 may besimilar to traditional containers except that it is cut off at itsneck/shoulders. A lip or flange 5504 may be established at the top ofthe intermediate container 55 and may provide a surface that can beattached to the pressure equalizer 5304 (e.g., via ultrasonic welding,laser welding, radio frequency welding, gluing/chemical welding,friction welding, spin welding, shake welding, etc.). The size of theopening 5508 of the intermediate container 55 may be the same size asthe inner diameter of the pressure equalizer 5304 at its flange 5312,but the outer diameter of the flange 5312 may be larger than the outerdiameter of the lip or flange 5504. The difference in the out diametersof the flanges may facilitate easier attachment of the pressureequalizer 5304 to the intermediate container 55.

With reference now to FIGS. 56A and 56B, yet another container 56 willbe described in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.The container 56 may comprise similar characteristics to container 53,except that the pressure equalizer 5604 may be integrated into the bodyof the container rather than being produced in a separate manufacturingstep. Accordingly, the pressure equalizer 5604 may comprise similarcomponents to the pressure equalizer 5304 (e.g., a main outlet port5608, one or more air inlets 5612, and one or more dividing walls 5616that separate the air inlets 5612 from the main outlet port 5608).However, the pressure equalizer 5604 may not comprise a flange or anyother feature for connecting to the body of the container 56. Rather,the container 56 may be produced as a single integrated product and thesidewalls 5616 (e.g., features that create the air inlets 5612) may beadded to the container 56 after the container has been created. In someembodiments, the air inlets 5612 (and specifically the materials of thedividing walls 5616) may be cut to the appropriate dimension andinserted in the opening of the container 56 (either before or after thecontainer has been filled with a liquid). The cut portions of materialmay then be ultrasonically welded or otherwise attached to the innersurface of the bottleneck.

FIGS. 57A and 57B show yet another pressure equalizer 5704 in accordancewith embodiments of the present disclosure. The pressure equalizer 5704is similar to the pressure equalizer 5304 except that the pressureequalizer 5704 doesn't have a flange 5312. The pressure equalizer 5704is also similar to the pressure equalizer 5604 except that the pressureequalizer 5704 is attached to the body of a container in a separatemanufacturing step. Accordingly, the component parts of the pressureequalizer 5704 may be similar or identical to the component parts of thepressure equalizer 5604 and may include a neck and shoulder 5708, a mainoutlet 5712, one or more air inlets 5716, one or more dividing walls5720, and a cap stopper 5724. As with other pressure equalizersdiscussed herein, the material with which the pressure equalizer 5704 ismanufactured may include any type of known plastic, glass, synthetic, orthe like.

FIGS. 58A thru 61B depict other possible configurations of the inlettubes that may be used to further enhance the effectiveness of anypressure equalizer described herein. Referring initially to FIGS. 58Aand 58B, a pressure equalizer 5804 is shown to include an air inlet 5808that extends the path that fluid within the container would have totravel before arriving at the opening 5812. By extending the flow pathwithin the air inlet 5808, the air inlet 5808 makes it more likely thatair will flow from opening 5812 to opening 5816 rather than having fluidwithin the container flow from opening 5816 to opening 5812.

In some embodiments, the air inlet 5808 comprises a first opening 5812proximate to the opening of the container and a second opening 5816 thatis within the neck or shoulder of the container. A first bend 5820 maybe positioned between the first opening 5812 and second opening 5816. Afirst portion 5824 of the air inlet 5808 may be positioned between thefirst opening 5812 and first bend 5820 while a second portion 5828 ofthe air inlet 5808 may be positioned between the second opening 5816 andthe first bend 5820. The length of the first portion 5824 may be greaterthan the length of the second portion 5828. Furthermore, the diametersand/or profiles of the first opening 5812 and second opening 5816 do notnecessarily have to be the same. Rather, the first opening 5812 may belarger in diameter than the second opening 5816 or vice versa. Likewise,the shape of the first opening 5812 does not necessarily have to be thesame as the shape of the second opening 5816.

The pressure equalizer 5904 in FIGS. 59A and 59B comprises an air inlet5908 that is slightly different from air inlet 5808. Specifically, theair inlet 5908 comprises multiple bends including a first and secondupward bend 5920 a, 5920 b as well as a downward bend 5928. A firstportion 5924 of the air inlet 5908 may reside between the first opening5912 and the first upward bend 5920 a. A second portion 5932 a of theair inlet 5908 may reside between the first upward bend 5920 a and thedownward bend 5928. A third portion 5932 b of the air inlet 5908 mayreside between the downward bend 5928 and the second upward bend 5920 b.The multiple bends between the first opening 5912 and the second opening5916 may further increase the path that fluid would have to flow throughthe air inlet 5908. Therefore, the fluid pouring out of the containerhaving the pressure equalizer 5904 will naturally select the main outletof the container rather than coming out of the air inlet 5908.

It should be appreciated that the number of bends in the air inlet 5908may be greater or lesser than the number of bends shown in FIGS. 59A and59B. Specifically, the air inlet 5908 may comprise one, two, three,four, five, six, or more bends without departing from the scope of thepresent disclosure. Further still, the bends do not necessarily have tobe 180 degree bends, but rather can be bends of any amount. In someembodiments, the bends may be 90 degree bends and the direction in whichthe second opening faces is orthogonal to the direction in which thefirst opening faces. Any other variations of the air inlets may also beperformed in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring now to FIGS. 60A and 60B, yet another type of pressureequalizer 6004 comprising yet another type of air inlet 6008 is shown inaccordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. The air inlet6008 may comprise a helical shape and contours or follows the innerdiameter of the bottleneck. Similar to other air inlets, the air inlet6008 may comprise a first opening 6012 and a second opening 6016 with ahelical portion 6020 there between. The helical portion 6020 of the airinlet 6008 may be integrated into the pressure equalizer 6004 or it maybe manufactured separately and connected to the inside wall of thebottleneck in a separate manufacturing step (e.g., via ultrasonicwelding). In some embodiments, the helical portion 6020 may be attachedcontinuously to the inside wall of the bottleneck. In other embodiments,the helical portion 6020 may be spot welded at discrete points to theinside wall of the bottleneck.

FIGS. 61A and 61B show still another type of pressure equalizer 6104having multiple air inlets 6108 a, 6108 b. Each of the air inlets 6108a, 6108 b may comprise helical portions that wrap around the inner wallof the bottleneck. Each air inlet 6108 a, 6108 b may also comprise firstopening 6112 a, 6112 b and a second opening 6116 a, 6116 b. The firstopenings 6112 a, 6112 b may be positioned across from one another (e.g.on opposite sides of the bottle opening) and the helical portions ofeach air inlet 6108 a, 6108 b may fit next to each other as they spiraldown the bottleneck. Each air inlet 6108 a, 6108 b may be similar oridentical to the air inlet 6008. Accordingly, it should be appreciatedthat a pressure equalizer may be equipped with one, two, three, four, ormore similar types of helically-shaped air inlets.

As described herein, any number of manufacturing methods (e.g.,fully-automated, partially-automated, manual) may be employed to producea container having a pressure equalizer. In some embodiments, amanufacturing method may: (1) employ blow molding techniques to blowmold a smaller container top (e.g., having an inner diameter ofapproximately 11.5 mm); (2) extrude the air inlet(s); and (3) attach theair inlets to the inner sidewalls of the bottleneck using one or more of(friction welding, ultrasonic welding, radio frequency welding, heatwelding, gluing, or the like).

As noted above, it is also possible to create a pressure equalizer thatleaves the support ledge and throat of the bottle the same size. To dothis, the entire top of the pre-formed container goes away, right downto the support ledge. The pressure equalizer is then produced thatincludes the spout, air tubes, an appropriately-sized cap and abreak-band to indicate that the cap has not been removed. The pressureequalizer may then be attached (e.g., welded and/or glued) to the top ofthe pre-formed container.

As discussed above, it may also be possible to extrude the air tubes andcreate a variety of snap-in systems, where each air tube is separatelysnapped into features within the spout. Alternatively, or in addition, acomplete pressure equalizer may be provided with snaps or other frictionfitting elements to snap the pressure equalizer into place relative tothe body of the container.

Another advantage contemplated herein is the ability to employ bottlestacking. Specifically, since the bottle cap size is reduced (e.g., dueto the reduction in the diameter of the bottle top), the top of onebottle or container may be sized to fit into the bottom of anotherbottle.

It should be appreciated that any number of materials may be used tomanufacture the pressure equalizers described herein. For example,metal, metal alloys, non-metal alloys, ceramics, plastics, glass, andother materials used for the construction of container may be used forthe pressure equalizers without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure.

In at least one embodiment of the various pressure described herein, thetop rim of the one or more air tubes associated with the pressureequalizer do not extend above the bottle rim 136 of the bottle 100.Advantageously, a cap associated with the bottle can be reused with thepressure equalizer in the bottle 100.

Air tubes described herein preferably include solid, non-perforatedtubing walls. That is, there are no holes along the side walls of theair tubes between the upper inlet rims 408 and the lower end edges 412of the air tubes. In at least one embodiment of all of the variouspressure equalizers described herein, there are no holes along the sidewalls of the air tubes between the upper inlet rims 408 and the lowerend edges 412 of the air tubes. In at least one embodiment of all of thevarious pressure equalizers described herein, and as someone of ordinaryskill in the art would appreciate, if present, any holes within thesidewalls of the air tubes preferably do not materially impact the flowcharacteristics of the subject pressure equalizer.

In at least one embodiment of the various pressure equalizers describedherein, the lower end edges of the air tubes do not extend below about25% of the bottle length B_(L).

In at least one embodiment of the various pressure described herein, atleast a portion of the upper inlet rim 408 of at least one air tube issituated within a rim proximity distance that is less than or equal to5% of the bottleneck length L_(Bottleneck).

In at least one embodiment of the various pressure equalizers describedherein, even if having a non-circular cross-sectional shape, the airtubes preferably include a diameter or equivalent diameter (by measuringthe cross-sectional area of the air tube and solving for an equivalentdiameter) that resides within a range of about 2% to 50% of thebottleneck diameter D_(Bottleneck). In addition, the air tube lengthL_(Air Tube) of the air tubes is greater than or equal to the bottlenecklength L_(Bottleneck) and less than or equal to about 25% of the bottlelength B_(L)(that is, L_(Bottleneck)≤L_(Air Tube)≤25% B_(L)).

One, some, or all of the various pressure equalizers or containersdescribed herein may further benefit from having air tubes that arespecifically configured with a low-profile design that maximize theequalization of pressure between the interior of the container and theexterior of the container. Specifically, many different shapes of airtubes were described. An oval, oblong, tear-shaped, egg-shaped, oreye-shaped air tube may provide particularly good performance. Thisparticular shape of air tube may maximize the air inlets cross-sectionalarea near the outer diameter of the container opening but also maximizethe amount of area through which fluid is allowed to travel out of thecontainer. A pressure equalizer or insert may be configured with someair inlets of one shape and some air inlets of another shape.Accordingly, a single container or pressure equalizer may comprisemultiple air inlets, each having a different cross-sectional shape thanany other air inlet.

Another feature that may be useful to some or all of the embodimentsdescribed herein is the ability to specifically configure air inletdimensions to the size of container and type of fluid which is pouredout of the container. As some non-limiting examples, a 1 liter sodacontainer may have between three and six air inlets each having asimilar cross-sectional area and each having a similar length. Asanother non-limiting example, a 2 liter soda container may have betweenthree and six air inlets each having a similar cross-sectional area andeach having a similar length. As another non-limiting example, a 1 literwater bottle may have between three and six air inlets each having asimilar cross-sectional area and each having a similar length. Asanother non-limiting example, a 1 liter juice bottle may have betweenthree and six air inlets each having a similar cross-sectional area andeach having a similar length.

Another feature that may be useful to some or all of the embodimentsdescribed herein is that the length of the air inlets can be kept to alength of no longer than 3 inches per air inlet. Specifically, it may berevealed that air inlets longer than 3 inches in length are no moreuseful in equalizing pressure in a container than their shortercounterparts. Accordingly, in an attempt to control material costs, itmay be desirable to maintain air inlet lengths to less than 3 inches.

Yet another feature that may be useful to some or all of the embodimentsdescribed herein is that containers with handles or other containersthat have a generally constant pour direction (e.g., gable topcontainers) may not require as many air inlets as containers withoutsuch a constant pour direction. In other words, if the direction withwhich a container is going to be poured is either controlled or somehowpredictable, it may be possible to reduce the number of air inlets toone or two air inlets rather than three to six air inlets distributedevenly around the container opening. Moreover, the two or more airinlets may be grouped at one strategic location of the container openingrather than being evenly or randomly distributed about the containeropening if the container has a direction of pouring that is somewhatpredictable.

As discussed above, embodiments of the present disclosure may benefitfrom one or more manufacturing methods that were previously unknown inthe container and bottle manufacturing arts. To list but severalnon-limiting examples, the concept of building a fluid container thathas substantially rigid (e.g., non-collapsable) body walls with anopening smaller than 15 mm is something that has not been possible inthe prior art due to the fact that fluid would simply get stuck in sucha container without the advantage of the disclosed equalizationmechanisms. In some embodiments, the way in which such a container orinlet for a container may be manufactured is to create a containerperform with an opening smaller than 15 mm. The container perform mayotherwise size the container in accordance with traditional designdimensions, but the container opening may be kept smaller than 15 mm,thereby decreasing the amount of materials required to manufacture thecontainer, increasing the pouring accuracy of the container, and thelike.

Another example of a useful manufacturing technique is the ability tocreate a container perform with air inlet tubes. The air inlet tubes maybe integral to the perform or they may be separately manufactured (e.g.,via extrusion), cut to the desired length, and then attached to thecontainer while it is still on the perform.

In an alternative or additional manufacturing process, blow moldingtechniques can be employed to weld pre-manufactured air inlets into thedesired location. Specifically, the blow molding process requires anincreased heat, which may be sufficient to at least partially plasticizethe container and/or air inlet material. This increased heat may also besufficient to enable the air inlet to be stuck, adhered, welded, etc. tothe inner wall of the container or insert opening.

In an alternative or additional manufacturing process, a welder may beused to weld individual air inlet tubes into their desired locationabout the container and/or insert. Specifically, the pre-manufacturedair inlets may be welded to the container and/or insert using any one oflaser welding, ultrasonic welding, radio frequency welding,gluing/chemical welding, friction welding, spin welding, and shakewelding.

In an alternative or additional manufacturing process, specifically inconnection with the manufacturing of an insert rather than a containerwith an integrated pressure equalization device, a series of parts thatinclude the finish (threaded male portion of the bottle) along with halfof the support ledge (e.g., 4520, 4720, 4924, 5104, 5312, or 5724), thecap, the safety/tamper seal, the leakage seal, and the air inlets, canbe installed at the capper stage of the line instead of capping apressure equalization device that is already incorporated into acontainer. The separate construction of the finish, support ledge, cap,tamper seal, leakage seal, and air inlets can be optimized separate fromthe construction of the container itself and a final step (before orafter filling the container with the desired liquid) would be to connectto the container to the separately constructed finish and cap via thesupport ledge. This final connection may be achieved using any of thewelding, gluing, or other attachment techniques described herein orotherwise known in the container manufacturing arts.

The present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from its spirit or essential characteristics. The describedembodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrativeand not restrictive. The scope of the disclosure is, therefore,indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription. All changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

The one or more present disclosures, in various embodiments, includecomponents, methods, processes, systems and/or apparatus substantiallyas depicted and described herein, including various embodiments,subcombinations, and subsets thereof. Those of skill in the art willunderstand how to make and use the present disclosure afterunderstanding the present disclosure.

The present disclosure, in various embodiments, includes providingdevices and processes in the absence of items not depicted and/ordescribed herein or in various embodiments hereof, including in theabsence of such items as may have been used in previous devices orprocesses (e.g., for improving performance, achieving ease and/orreducing cost of implementation).

The foregoing discussion of the disclosure has been presented forpurposes of illustration and description. The foregoing is not intendedto limit the disclosure to the form or forms disclosed herein. In theforegoing Detailed Description for example, various features of thedisclosure are grouped together in one or more embodiments for thepurpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is notto be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed disclosurerequires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather,as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than allfeatures of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the followingclaims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description, with eachclaim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodiment of thedisclosure.

Moreover, though the description of the disclosure has includeddescription of one or more embodiments and certain variations andmodifications, other variations and modifications are within the scopeof the disclosure (e.g., as may be within the skill and knowledge ofthose in the art, after understanding the present disclosure). It isintended to obtain rights which include alternative embodiments to theextent permitted, including alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalentstructures, functions, ranges or steps to those claimed, whether or notsuch alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions,ranges or steps are disclosed herein, and without intending to publiclydedicate any patentable subject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A container, comprising: a main body portionconfigured to contain a liquid; a container opening which provides apoint of exit for liquid contained in the main body portion; abottleneck between the container opening and the main body portion, thebottleneck comprising a cross-sectional area that is smaller than across-sectional area of the main-body portion; and a pressure equalizerhaving more than two and less than six air inlets, each being positionedin the bottleneck, the pressure equalizer enabling the liquid to exitthe container opening and simultaneously enabling air to enter the mainbody portion through the air inlets such that the flow of the liquidfrom the main body portion is substantially continuous.
 2. The containerof claim 1, wherein the pressure equalizer comprises four air inlets. 3.The container of claim 2, wherein the four air inlets are spaced equallyaround the bottleneck.
 4. The container of claim 2, wherein a diameterof the container opening is less than about 10.5 mm.
 5. The container ofclaim 1, wherein a viscosity of the liquid is greater than a viscosityof oil at room temperature.
 6. The container of claim 5, wherein the oilis motor oil.
 7. The container of claim 5, wherein the diameter of thecontainer opening is less than about 10.5 mm.
 8. The container of claim1, wherein the pressure equalizer is modular.
 9. The container of claim8, wherein the modular pressure equalizer is welded to the bottleneck.10. The container of claim 1, wherein the bottleneck is incorporatedinto the pressure equalizer, wherein the pressure equalizer comprises aflange, and wherein the flange of the pressure equalizer is welded tothe main body portion.
 11. The container of claim 1, wherein thepressure equalizer at least partially comprises one or more ofhigh-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, polyethyleneterephthalate, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride,polytetrafluoroethylene, polycarbonate, epoxy, polyamide, nylon, rubber,synthetic rubber, cellulose-based plastics, glass, metal, and metalalloy.
 12. The container of claim 1, wherein the main body portion ismade of a semi-crystalline PET and wherein the ratio weight of the wallson weight of the bottom is between about 3.4 and 3.8.
 13. A pressureequalizer configured to be incorporated into an opening of a container,the pressure equalizer comprising: three or more air inlets having afirst opening that substantially coincides with the opening of thecontainer and a second opening that is positioned substantially within abottleneck of the container.
 14. The pressure equalizer of claim 13,wherein the three or more air inlets comprise at least a fourth airinlet.
 15. The pressure equalizer of claim 14, wherein the three or moreair inlets comprise at least a fifth air inlet.
 16. The pressureequalizer of claim 15, wherein the three or more air inlets comprise nomore than a sixth air inlet.
 17. The pressure equalizer of claim 13,wherein each of the three or more air inlets comprise a length of nomore than 3 inches.
 18. The pressure equalizer of claim 13, wherein atleast one of the three or more air inlets comprise at least one of anoval shape, egg shape, and eye shape.
 19. The pressure equalizer ofclaim 13, wherein a first of the three or more air inlets comprises afirst shape and a second of the three or more air inlets comprises asecond shape different from the first shape.
 20. A container comprisingthe pressure equalizer of claim 13.